Thursday, January 28, 2010

My new year's resolution is 1920x1080



That's right, I aim big. Hardy har har. Also widescreen.

So as customary on the Stompy Blog: January means it's resolutions time. This blog is nothing if not an outlet for me to document my resolutions, after all, that is how it started. I'm pretty happy with how it went, and I want to keep it that way, but unlike a giraffe: It's gotta evolve.

I'm in the position now where my work experience is actually worth something, so the inital purpose of this blog (half-heartedly doing gaming related stuff of my own devise for experiences sake) is now kind of redundant. Now I dont want to stop doing that, but I need a purpose. I need a lofty goal that I can regularly fail to attain, but at least learn from. As my good capitalist friend James says: "Aim for the moon, because if you miss, at least you'll something something blah blah"... I always get bored at that point.

Previously, I think for the past 2 years the plan was to post something every day, of which I did an awe inspiring 15.45% of the time. The good news is that means it wont be too hard to improve on. Maybe I should keep that one?

So, lofty goals for this year that I probably can't attain but secretly really want to:

Start getting my own (commerically viable) IP's together.
This is not technically cheating. Yet. I've got ideas, I've got plans, but I don't really have anything out there. By the end of the year, I want something out there with my name on it that people who don't actually know me have seen. It is only the internet after all... how hard can it be?

Be a bit of a mover/shaker in the Australian game industry.
Well... At least get to the point where I'm mistaken for someone else in the industry. Tough because the games industry is a pretty secular bunch, and typically doesn't like to go out and be social (there's too many games to play!). Also tough because from a business point of view, I'm all the way out in Helensvale. May be slightly easier because there's not that many companies left in Brisbane. Sad smiley face.

Improve my art to the point that Marvel/DC approaches me. Or at least stalks me from a safe distance.
I don't think i'll ever be 100% happy with my own stuff, but happy enough that I'm doing things techincally right? I could manage that. Maybe. At least get to the point where I can get some kind of consistancy. Also I really wanna actually start (and finish) a comic sometime...

Get back into music again, get song in Aria charts.
Or at least start listening to new music again. I dunno... I can't tell if music let me down last year or if I somehow let it down by not trying to find good stuff. I do know I've let myself down by not playing as much as I used to.

Be Batman.
Probably the toughest resolution, since I don't suffer any particular childhood trauma that would spurn me onwards to a life of fighting crime. Also, I'm not a rich bachelor playboy with riches to afford a bunch of cool gadgets. Lastly, I'm not the world's greatest detective. But what else am I going to do with my spare nights? And this cape?

So... If you see me and I'm slacking off from these resolutions, feel free to tell me off. At least force me to make up a decent excuse... I'm already formulating them in my head now!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Big Stompy Paintball Team


And just like that: I'm back.

Apologies to all of you (all one of you) I've let down by not posting since that last post some time a while ago. Times have been tough, what can I say. My holiday didn't really give me much time to do anything at all, then I had to move, then I had to catch up on all the TF2 I'd missed. It's been very busy.

But this week marks the official return to form of the Stompy Blog. The format this year is going to be a little different. My work has changed significantly (and for the better) meaning I'll actually be doing stuff that'll be worth the experience now. This means I wont really have to use this blog as I originally intended (like I ever did anyway).

So I'll still be posting here regularly, and I'll still be working on projects of my one devise, and I'll still be going on (at length) about what ever geek topic I feel the need to. I may also be posting work related stuff, which I assure you will be more interesting than work stuff I may previously have had to talk about (i.e. not train related). Of course, only time will tell.

Meanwhile, today's picture: Grim sign of things to come, or hastily sketched out obscure pop culture references as demanded by my adoring fan? You be the judge.